McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
The A-4 was deployed from earlier
AD
Skyraider and designed to meet a requirement for a carrierborne light attack aircraft,
and first flew on June 22, 1954. A variety of models were built throughout the mid to late
1960s for the US Navy, as well as for the Argentine, Singapore, and New Zealand Air
Forces. It is still actively used in South-East Asia for both combat and training, in the
US the A-4M and the TA-4F are currently used by Marine Corps Reserve squadrons. All models
have two internally mounted 20mm (.8 inch) cannons, and are capable of delivering
conventional and nuclear weapons under day and night visual meteorological conditions. The
A-4M uses a heads-up display and computer aided delivery of its bomb load with the angle
rate bombing system. The Marine Reserve has two squadrons of A-4s with 12 aircraft each.
Additionally, each squadron has two TA-4 aircraft.
| General characteristics |
| Contractor |
McDonnell Douglas |
| Primary function |
Light attack aircraft for carriers |
| Crew |
One |
| Power plant |
one Pratt & Whitney J52-P-8B non-afterburning
turbojet |
| Thrust |
9,300 lb |
41.4 kN |
| Wingspan |
27 ft 6 in |
8.38 m |
| Length |
41 ft 9 in |
12.72 m |
| Height |
15 ft |
4.57 m |
| Max. takeoff weight |
22,500 lb |
10,206 kg |
| Ceiling |
40,000 ft |
18,144 m |
| Range |
2,055 miles |
3,307 km |
| Max. speed |
701 mph |
1,128 km/h |
| Armament |
Two Mk12 20mm cannons with 200 rounds each, plus
up to 8,200 lb including ASMs, AIM-9
Sidewinder AAMs, bombs, or fuel tanks |
| Built |
2960 |
Jirka Wagner
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